MIAMI \u2013 The next generation of television\u2014as represented by things like the ATSC3.0 standard\u2014is now in sight. Then again, so is the moon.<\/p>\n
To hear panelists at the recent Beet Retreat Miami explain it, lunar landings might be easier to achieve than getting TV broadcasters en masse to quickly embrace the future.<\/p>\n
Asked by moderator Ashley J. Swartz to explain the implications of ATSC3.0<\/a>, Rob Weisbord, who was recently named Chief Revenue Officer of Sinclair Digital Group<\/a>, stepped up to the dais from the audience and said, \u201cIt\u2019s taking IP technology, layering it over the linear transmitter so it gives you a hybrid approach. It puts broadcasters into a bit business.\u201d<\/p>\n While that sounds exciting, reality quickly set in. Mike Kubin, EVP, Media at Invidi<\/a>, explained how his company began working in 2003 with distributors to get its software into digital set-top boxes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt took us forever to make that happen,\u201d Kubin said. \u201cRight now we are in five terrific distributors in the United States. Our goals are to go international, but there\u2019s only so much we can do. At the end of the day, they tell us what we can do or what we can\u2019t do.\u201d<\/p>\n SintecMedia<\/a> CEO Lorne Brown cited a \u201cfuture of TV survey\u201d his company did in conjunction with the National Association of Broadcasters in which just 30% of respondents said they were ready for advanced TV. \u201cOf those 30 percent, 60 percent said they were going to rely on legacy, in-house, home-grown technology to deliver advanced TV,\u201d said Brown. \u201cSo only 30 percent are ready and 60 percent believe they can pull it off with the stuff that they have in house. I think that\u2019s a major problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Said Swartz: \u201cAll I\u2019m hearing is more increased complexity.\u201d<\/p>\n Jennifer Koester<\/a>, Director of Global Partnerships for Google, took a positive approach. \u201cI think the dichotomy that we keep talking about between linear and digital, it\u2019s going away. I think we need to kind of step back from that and talk about solutions and technology that bridges the gap.\u201d<\/p>\n She listed among the industry\u2019s needs simplifying the ecosystem, making cross-screen reach and frequency easier, plus driving more value and being able to show it with regard to premium video inventory. That led to this exchange:<\/p>\n Koester: \u201cThe shift is going to happen and when it does, I think it\u2019s going to happen very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown: \u201cI don\u2019t think so. I think it\u2019s going to be a slow, painful\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Koester: \u201cI think we\u2019re in the slow painful part right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown: \u201cI think even ATSC3.0\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Koester: \u201cThat\u2019s going to be slow.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown: \u201cAnd so how fast can Comcast roll out addressable boxes? All of this is really, really slow.\u201d<\/p>\n Tony Yi, GM, Strategic Commercial\/Business Development for Videology, explained the complexity involved in trying to \u201cbe nimble\u201d when dealing with integrations with systems for order entry, decisioning, trafficking, billing and CRM systems. While noting that media companies leverage Videology\u2019s software to optimize the planning of data against media, it\u2019s not always used for programmatic transactions.<\/p>\n \u201cAs an example, we just landed the press about Fox, a great partner client of ours, they use it for direct sales. They\u2019re not using it in a programmatic fashion,\u201d said Yi.<\/p>\n Swartz related a recent visit to a broadcaster to discuss a solution from her Furious Corp.<\/a>, only to experience a \u201cnot made here mentality.\u201d She concluded that the meeting was a waste of time.<\/p>\n Brown summed up the differences between programmers and operators. \u201cIf I\u2019m a national programmer, my strategy has to come from legacy linear outward. Versus if I\u2019m an operator I can lean much more into advanced TV and impressions because I control the pipes and I have the data. Legacy linear for a national programmer is foundational and that\u2019s really, really hard.\u201d<\/p>\n